Tennessee Retina- Oncology
September is Lymphoma Awareness Month, and we wanted to take the time to highlight our oncology department and educate you about vitreoretinal lymphoma. Tennessee Retina has a dedicated oncology team. Our team is considered one of the largest and most active Ocular Oncology services in the country. Dr. David Reichstein is the director of our Ocular Oncology Service. He is both a vitreoretinal surgeon and an ocular oncologist. He serves along with oncology coordinators Anderson Brock, Holly Lamb, Tiffany Jimenez and Courtney McCleave to provide exemplary service to the patient. The oncology team will put together the best treatment plan for your specific diagnosis and be alongside you throughout your care.
Uveal melanoma is an example of a tumor that is found within the eye , and we treat this at Tennessee Retina. Uveal Melanoma is a rare cancer. We use the terms iris melanoma, choroidal melanoma, or ciliary body melanoma for particular tumors. This is a way for us to more specifically describe a tumor and its location within the eye. However, nearly all melanomas (whether iris, choroid, or ciliary body) behave the same, arise from the same cells, become cancer in the same way, and can cause harm systemically in the same way.
Uveal melanoma is cancer usually starts as a mole (also called a "nevus"), in one of the structures (iris, choroid, ciliary body) of the uvea. The development of a nevus is very normal and occurs in about 7%of all people. The vast majority of these nevi are benign. However, there are some nevi that contain cells which mutate (change their DNA and their cellular properties). This mutation can lead to uncontrolled growth and, ultimately, the development of cancer.
Three most common risk factors for the development of uveal melanoma:
- Age (fifth decade or older)
- Being Caucasian
- Having blue or light green eyes
Uveal Melanoma is a unique cancer in that it rarely grows to the rest of the surrounding structures or lymph nodes outside of the eye. Your non-affected eye is extremely unlikely to ever become affected. It is thought that uveal melanoma spreads through the bloodstream only. When it does spread, the melanoma is then considered metastatic. Metastatic uveal melanoma typically spreads first to the liver (greater than 90% of the time), and then less frequently to the lungs or skin. The brain is rarely involved until extremely late in the disease. Because our treatments for systemic (metastatic) uveal melanoma are in their infancy, it carries a poor prognosis and is extremely dangerous for your systemic health. For this reason, our treatment of the non-metastatic cancer is designed to reduce the chance that the tumor can spread.
The risk of systemic spread is dependent upon two things:
- The thickness of the tumor.
Smaller tumors are less likely (though not impossible) to spread, and large tumors are more likely (though not inevitable) to spread. - The genetic makeup of the tumor.
Certain mutations within the tumor are more or less likely to be associated with systemic spread. Genetic testing is now available and will be offered to patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma.
To learn more about benign and malignant tumors that can be found inside or outside of the eye please follow this link to our website https://www.tnretina.com/retinal-care/ocular-oncology
To learn more about what to expect at your first visit please follow this link https://www.tnretina.com/retinal-care/ocular-oncology
